Manoj Tiwary slams Rishabh Pant after MI vs LSG IPL 2026 match

Former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary criticised Rishabh Pant after Lucknow Super Giants suffered a six-wicket loss against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Monday. Tiwary said Pant has tried batting at almost every position but has failed to deliver the goods for the franchise.

Pant batted at number four against MI but was dismissed after scoring 15 runs off 10 balls. The left-hander was trying to cut the ball against Will Jacks but could only manage an edge, and the catch was sharply taken by Ryan Rickelton.

The southpaw has scored 209 runs in nine matches of IPL 2026 at an average of 25.50 and a strike rate of 128.30.

“LSG’s season is going really bad, there are no two ways about it. When, as a captain, your bat is not talking, then the team’s morale is affected, because a captain always has to lead from the front. He has tried batting in every position in the order, but he has scored only one fifty. He is a high-quality player, he is naturally talented, but you can only become a big player if you score runs consistently,” Manoj Tiwary said on Cricbuzz.

“It will be very difficult for him to get into the Indian team, and it is not really good for his confidence as well. When he was brought in by LSG, it was with the hope that he would win matches and trophies for the team, the management were quite pleased with him. Something is going wrong somewhere, mentally or psychologically, and that is visible,” he added.

The former Bengal cricketer said Rishabh Pant is not giving confidence to anyone in the team as he hasn’t been able to lead from the front.

“When he is playing, he is not giving confidence to anyone. He changed his position, so he has got the chance to try out everywhere in the batting order. As a captain, you have the opportunity to change your position to get yourself back into form, but it is just not working. I think LSG have a lot to think about for the next season,” Tiwary said.

Lucknow Super Giants will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Lucknow on Thursday.